Once upon a time, I made a HUGE mistake with one of my subscriber lists.
You'd think after half a decade (at that time) as an Internet marketer that I would have known the email marketing formula like the back of my hand.
Tried-and-True Email Marketing Formula
Here's the tried-and-true formula for email marketing success:
An Autoresponder Series
+
a Weekly, Bi-Weekly or Monthly Newsletter
=
Repeat Visits to Site and MORE Sales
It's a Win-Win situation all round. Subscribers receive valuable offers of interest to them and the list owner generates income from purchases through their own, or affiliate links.
The formula is perfect. It works like a charm each and every time – but only when you use it, and use it regularly.
That last point is key and I'll tell you why.
I started my ‘Singles eScene' [SeS] newsletter for my dating service review site in 1998. At the time of my serious email marketing mistake, the [SeS] had 103,000 subscribers.
One day, I sent my subscribers an offer to attend a free John Gray teleminar. John Gray, Ph.D., is the author of 15 best-selling books, including ‘Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus‘ and is a relationships expert.
Relationships – something singles are interested in, right?
Then why did more than 14,000 people unsubscribe from the [SeS] within a few days of receiving that message?
There's only one good explanation.
Too Much Time Between Mailings
I had let more than 7 months elapse between mailings! Most of those subscribers were probably wondering, ‘What the heck is the Singles eScene?' and/or ‘I didn't signup for this!'
So, they got busy clicking those unsubscribe links.
OK, there is a bit of a bright side to ‘culling‘ your list. My autoresponder service, Aweber, charges 9.95 per month for each additional 10,000 subscribers. So, by losing 14,000 subscribers, I saved $120 over the coming year.
But the truth of the matter is that my laziness cost probably me much more than $120.
I know that on average, two of every 100 [SeS] subscribers buys an annual dating service membership for $70.00, and four more purchase recurring monthly $24.95 memberships that they keep for an average of 6 months. With a 50% commission rate… I just tossed $4440 down the drain over the next twelve months.
The lesson therefore is simple.
People buy from people they know, like and trust.
So, build your list with your autoresponder series AND regular newsletter broadcasts… and let them get to know, like and trust you!
